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The Best Days Of Your Life.

There is a song that has a line similar. Don Henley. Viewing some of the images posted here kinda takes me back to what I think was a better time in my life , as far as some things go. Seeing photos of old country cottages reminds me of places that I have been. Now I'm older and looking back I think of how simple life was, and now, how complicated the world has become. To me the 70s were probably the most enjoyable. Buying a panelvan with a couple of mates and traveling right across this great country. Not a care in the world. What fun. I hope that the younger generation do not look back to now with the same view. I hate to think what a terrible state the world will be in if that is the case.
So what decade or time do you remember as " The" time ? Also. Where have we gone wrong ? I blame a lot on two things. 1. No dicipline in schools (to a degree), and 2. The pressures put on young families that make Mothers have to bring in a 2nd income just to make ends meet. Dont get me wrong. There are plenty of things in this era that I am very happy with, ie, camera gear . I remember that I had a small Agfa 110 in the panelvan days. Still have some photos from the adventure. Look forward to reading your thoughts. Paul.

I have 6 Decades to choose from Paul The best would have to be the 60's, 70's and the 80's , The sixty's for the way the times were changing and the invention of the "Pill" was a bonus, 70's cause everyone had money life was fun, 80's Disco's and girls, There's a whole lot of other stuff , I'd probably have to agree with you on the 70's, IMO

Just a second thought Paul, The 60's , The music changed, We were in our teens , Conscription for Vietnam !! Bra's were thrown away , The Beatles , The Stones, Jimmy Hendricks , Was all happening , It sort of smoothed out in the 70's to a nice life style

I worry for my kids and their children , We had the good times I think , Remember I was a baby Boomer, I was born only 4 yrs after W11 Finished !! , But I'm not sure about the future, It's a harder World we live in now , Things were a lot simpilar than now , But life goes on , Generations come and go and they don't know any different I guess

One thing about the present though, we have got "more choice". And "more is better" goes without saying.

Imagine it! More choice...
about things you don't understand
about how to be ripped off
about how to be scammed
about how you use, or don't use (their redundancy) your car
about sharing your day with a headache
...and so on.

What a great thread. Do you think that in the 60's 'the oldies' were despairing of what the world was coming to? Does each generation think that?

I am 45 and for the first time in my life I am really, truly happy. I love my life. Sure I'd love some more money and bigger house etc. etc. but this is my time, right now.

PS LOVE the pill quote William, you made me laugh out loud!!

"Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride!"
— Hunter S. Thompson

Do you think that in the 60's 'the oldies' were despairing of what the world was coming to? Does each generation think that?

Life goes on Bec, I do think each generation thinks the same as we did , But I did like Steam Trains, Short Wave Radio, Dialing the phone and asking the Operator for the number , Laying in front of the Big Radiogram listening to the Afternoon serials , Sitting by the Log fire, Feeding the Chooks in the back yard, Bird egg collecting , Making Slingshots, Exploring the bush , Myself and all my mates had .22 Riflels , If not a Slug Gun , No one got hurt !! , Dad used to complain about all the Cowboys killed on the TV , He said he needed a a tray to catch them all , Speaking of TV , My Friend Flicker, Leave it to Beaver, Bonanzer, Mickey Mouse Club Etc

William you are making me yearn for a time I never had!! I loved the Brady Bunch, Mr Ed, the magic roundabout . I love if I hear a really old song I often know all the words, even though I have no recollection of hearing it before, my mother loved music and had it playing constantly. I could play outside till it was dark, then the whistle blew and I would hear it blocks away and have to come home.

My 10 year old is writing her own computer programs and types faster than I can. She also plays soccer outside for hours and loves building cubby's I try so hard to find the balance between what I feel is right and what she wants to be able to do. The lovely thing is she is getting into photography THIS I am encouraging!!

I really feel this conversation should be had over a good bottle of wine or beer.

Many of us think of the "good old days" with fond memories and carefree times, but is it really the case? I am not saying they were bad, but that we only remember the good bits. I am now 50 and loved my childhood, where I grew up, my friends, my school and all the fun that I had, but I wouldn't change what I have now for what people had back then.

Paul, you made a comment about mothers needing to work so as to be able to afford decent housing, but it is the fact that mothers now mostly work is the very reason that means that they now to have to work to be able to afford to live in a city like Sydney. Reason? When a two income family comes to an auction, they have almost twice as much to bid on a house, which therefore means that they end up forcing house prices to rise and therefore the base price for housing then rises so that a second income is nearly always required. That's just market forces. You want to stop having to need two incomes to afford a house, then you need to stop two incomes being allowed to buy one.

I think each generation goes through this same thought that the kids get too much nowadays and that we all expect every convenience in our new home etc, but isn't this what we have been striving as a society to accomplish? ie, to have more and better things than out parents did. I found it interesting that Mark Latham, the infamous "almost Prime Minister" made a statement a month or so back saying that "we all want too much and that we expect a new first home, a two car garage with two cars, plasma TV and all mod cons and that we are greedy" etc. But, hasn't every generation ended up with much more than their parents? If not, we'd all still be living in the stone age and there'd be no progression.

Don't get me wrong, I think that many kids do have too much too young and that many kids show almost zero respect to adults and authority due to lack of dicipline, they do expect way too much and are less likely to do any manual labour. I also think this lack of dicipline is reflected in the many drunken fights and resultant injuries and deaths we see every weekend on the news as people just can't seem to dicipline themselves to limit drinking and mostly accept that they may be wrong, not the centre of the world and mistakenly believe that nothing they ever do is wrong, and therefore back down and walk away.

As for jobs and education, I guarantee that there are very few parents who don't want their child to go to uni, but then who becomes a tradesperson or God forbid is a cleaner or labourer? How on earth do we get people to do these less than glamourous jobs as you can't have a society with everyone uni educated? This is part why they have to allow such large numbers of immigration as many of these immigrants are more than happy to have any job.

Anyway, it's a very interesting discussion and one that I think will stir up some interesting responses as there seems to be a broad age group and cross section on this forum.

I'll have to answer this when I'm a little older I think - at 35 I have had life experiences but I would be too naive to say that what has gone has been the best - I am hoping there is plenty more goodness to come from which to look back upon